


Serendipity

by PixelByPixel



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: (no not like THAT), Animals, Dating, Fluff, Frank believes that of course, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Matt is fine, cameo: karen page, kind of, they're just cute together okay?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26185198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixelByPixel/pseuds/PixelByPixel
Summary: Matt hasn't been showing up to meet Frank to patrol. Frank investigates.(They're not dates, okay? It's patrolling. And what happens after the fighting is over? Probably just releasing tension. Yeah.)
Relationships: Frank Castle/Matt Murdock
Comments: 24
Kudos: 164
Collections: Daredevil and Defenders Exchange 2020





	Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Iithril](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iithril/gifts).



> This is my Daredevil Exchange gift to [iithril](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iithril/). The prompt I used was "The Defenders and Frank (or only part of them, or Nelson & Murdock...) go outside of town and interact with animals in a friendly way." Their song prompt, [I Went to Hell Last Night by Mika](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE7g1WJR9nE), motivated my choice of Matt/Frank. Thanks for the lovely prompts! 
> 
> As always, thanks to [titC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/titC/) for the beta. <3

Red was acting weird.

Well, no. Truth be told, Red always acted a little weird. He’d talk to himself real quiet sometimes, and Frank was pretty sure Red didn’t know he could hear it. Sometimes he’d bust out the Latin, and Frank wasn’t sure if it was church talk or lawyer talk or just Red being strange.

He didn’t really know which of those options he preferred.

What he and Red had was also something Frank didn’t really get. Sure, Frank had shot Red, but really he’d kind of been asking for it. But eventually, their mutual desire to stop each other had shifted to mutual… other things.

Fighting heated up the blood, you know? After they patrolled together, things just kind of happened.

Frank still didn’t really know if Red - liked him. Even in his head, he stayed away from other words starting with L. That was too much.

Anyway, of course Red didn’t feel that way. Why would someone like Red have that kind of feelings for Frank, whose own unrepentant actions had surely damned him to Red’s hell? Worth it, though, to get rid of low-lifes, to know they wouldn’t hurt more people.

But Red had missed a - not a date. A scheduled time to go patrol, like they’d been doing lately, and if anything happened after, it was all good.

It had been happening more, lately. And then Red had stopped meeting up with him.

Frank didn’t care. Not the first time Red didn’t show. But when it happened again the next night, Frank got - not worried. But he wanted to make sure Red was okay.

He had Red’s number, but he didn’t want to call, and the thought of Red’s phone reading out whatever stupid words he came up with was enough for Frank to decide that texting was out, too.

The thought occurred to him: had Red ever sexted? Now, Red speaking aloud the words that he wanted the other person to see, that was hot, but Frank was pretty sure the robotic voice would kill anything Red might get in reply.

Maybe if Frank texted in Latin. That would be funny, right? Not sexting, of course - just a regular text. But Frank hadn’t paid enough attention in Latin class back in Catholic school, and he didn’t trust Google translate, so that was out.

So Frank did the next most reasonable thing: a stakeout. Well, kind of. He wasn’t sure how far away Red could hear him with those senses of his, so Frank borrowed some good binocs from Curt - and didn’t explain why despite some pointed questions - and found a spot on a rooftop across the street and down the block from Nelson and Murdock. He didn’t want to look at Red through the sight on his sniper rifle; that wouldn’t be a great feeling, and worse if Red noticed. Better if he still had his own binocs, but Frankie had borrowed them and lost them, and Frank had never gotten around to replacing them.

So, ready to go with Curt’s binocs and a thermos of coffee, Frank waited, watching the office.

He figured even if Red ditched _him_ , he wouldn’t ditch work.

And he hadn’t. Right about five o’clock, Red came out of his building. Okay, that was kind of unusual, actually; since when did Red leave on time? Nelson had come down with him, and the two stood outside the building and chatted. They walked down the block toward Frank, and Nelson made his turn, while Red kept walking.

Then he sneezed and all but doubled over in pain. Shit, had he busted up his ribs again? That usually wasn’t enough to stop Red, though. Frank muttered something inappropriate under his breath and bolted for the stairs.

Red was still there, gasping for breath and making little pained noises, when Frank emerged from the building.

Frank was breathing a little hard, but he tried to play it cool. “The fuck you do to yourself?” he asked, though his tone was casual, only a little annoyed.

“Nothing,” Red replied, his voice tight. “I’m fine.”

“Yeah, that’s why you can barely breathe. This why you bailed on me?”

“I had other things to do.”

“Other things than _protect your city_?” Okay, _maybe_ Frank let his voice drop into that gravelly tone Red used sometimes, and quite possibly Red looked a little pissed off about it. And Frank thought about hiding his smile, but fuck it, the guy was blind. It wasn’t like he could see Frank looking amused.

“Stop smiling.”

“How do you know if I’m smiling? Do I smell different?” While Frank was honestly curious, he couldn’t help but add a little snark.

“No. But you’re smiling. I know you are.”

Frank sighed and, making a guess, poked Red in the ribs. Red did not gasp in pain, Frank noted, until he twisted away from Frank’s touch. So not the ribs, or at least not _those_ ribs, and he was pretty sure Red wouldn’t let him get the other side.

“What the hell?” Red asked once he’d gotten over whatever the pain was.

“Yeah, don’t say you’re fine.”

Red did that thing where he stuck out his jaw and exhaled through his nose.

“What did you do?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Well, that was an answer. Frank shrugged agreeably. “Come on.”

He started off down the road and Red, after a moment, followed him. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll, uh. You’ll find out.”

Red exhaled a short sound, almost a laugh. “It’s okay to say _you’ll see_ and _see you later_ and that kind of thing. I know you’re not mocking me.” He paused a beat. “Well, not my blindness, at least.”

It was true. Frank had plenty of other things he’d make fun of, where Red was concerned: his self-destructive tendencies, his refusal to admit when he was down, those were fair game. But the blindness? His dead father? No way.

“Got it,” Frank said. “Okay, is anybody expecting you?” He had an idea, something he hadn’t done in a while. He thought Red would like it.

“You kidnapping me, Frank?” Red’s tone had gone - not quite coy, but there was something in his tone, enough that Frank looked at him, but he was just walking and smiling a little.

“Nah, we can leave whenever you want. But you’ll like this.” Frank was pretty sure he would, at least.

“I’ve heard that one before.” There was a little more of that tone again. Was Red… _flirting_?

Huh.

“Well, we have to go in my truck to get there and we have to go now or we won’t have enough time before it closes.”

“Where are we going?” Red asked, though he seemed like he was going along with it.

“Like surprises?”

“Oh yeah.” He paused. “Unless it’s ninjas.”

Frank exhaled a short laugh. “Last time I went there, I didn’t see any ninjas.” He hesitated, remembering something. “Well, maybe a couple, but not the kind you’re thinking of.” Though he was more likely to call them sneaky bastards than ninjas.

“There are different ninja schools,” Red replied with a shrug. “Where’s the truck?”

“We’re coming up on it now.”

Frank’s truck was old and beat up, and that was how he liked it. He couldn’t click a fancy button to open the doors, so he made sure Red got to the passenger side, then went around to the driver’s side, unlocked it, and leaned over to unlock Red’s door and then push it open.

“There you go.”

He didn’t miss Red’s sharp intake of breath as he hauled himself into the truck, or his grimace, or the way Red went still, obviously waiting for a reaction.

Frank didn’t give him one. He just put on his seat belt. “Buckle up.”

There was a wince as Red found the seat belt and then clicked it into place.

Frank still didn’t say anything about it. Red had made it clear he didn’t want to discuss it. “We can stop for coffee on the way if you need some, or we could get something after.”

“Let’s just go,” Red said. “I’m curious about our destination.”

Frank wondered if it was a mistake, taking Red where they were going. It wouldn’t be the way he remembered it, and Red might not like it. But even if it was a mistake, he was going. Frank wasn’t one to back down, after all, even from something that might not be the best idea.

“Put any bad guys in jail today?” Frank asked, half of his attention in the traffic as he steered out of the city. Fortunately, the place stayed open late this time of year, so they should have enough time.

“Nah,” Red replied. “But I got a good settlement for a woman who needs it, so that counts as a win in my book.”

“Do-gooder,” Frank said, though without any real heat.

“I try.” Red tipped his head, then asked, “What’s your day job these days? We don’t really -”

Talk? Frank wasn’t going to say it. “Whatever comes around. Nothing real steady, but if there’s something that needs to get done, I do it.”

Red cleared his throat. “That, uh, sounds like you, yeah.”

Frank managed not to smirk. Red would know. “Wasn’t talking about that. Construction. Odd jobs. I’ve got some cash tucked away still, from -”

Life insurance had been Maria’s idea. He’d agreed, knowing that he wanted them to be taken care of if - okay, probably _when_ \- he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The insurance guy had talked them into coverage for Maria and the kids, too, and hadn’t even batted an eyelash when Lisa had called him _Jake from State Farm_. The policies had been generous.

Frank had wanted to burn all the money, or donate it to charity, or - anything. Curt had talked him down, and Frank _had_ given some to charity, and invested some, and, well, he lived in shitholes so he wouldn’t have to worry too much about working. He worked because he needed a distraction for his mind, something to do with his hands so he wouldn’t reach for a gun, kill everybody around him, and then himself at the end of it.

“Hey,” Red said, his voice gentle. “Deep breaths, okay?”

Shit. His brain was going in circles; he must have given a sign. Red and those senses of his.

“I’m fine.”

“I believe you, but you’re going to rip the wheel off the steering column in another minute. If you feel like that’s something you need to do, can we pull over first?” Red’s tone was teasing, but also a little worried.

Frank loosened his grip on the steering wheel, and his hands tingled a little.

“I’m good.”

“Thanks. I would have been disappointed if I never found out where we’re going.”

“Well, we’re almost there.”

A little flash of memory hit Frank right between the eyes: he’d said those same words so many times while making this trip with Lisa or Frankie or, sometimes, the whole family. The kids were always eager, and Maria liked it, too, though she was just as likely to shoo Frank off for time alone with one or both kids.

“They need a break,” she’d say. Or sometimes, laughing, “ _I_ need a break.”

Frank hadn’t been back. Why would he? Going by himself would have been… wrong. But Red, he seemed like he needed a break, too.

Frank just hoped it wouldn’t be too weird to be there without his family.

* * *

Matt hadn’t expected such a long ride. The pain in his back, low-level until that sneeze had sent lines of fire around his whole torso, had finally started to recede.

The ride probably didn’t help. He wasn’t looking forward to getting out of Frank’s truck, but this unexpected trip was surprisingly pleasant.

Might be more pleasant when they got where they were going. Matt tried to figure out where _Frank Castle_ went for fun.

A bar? That could be good.

A shooting range? Not that the guy needed any practice, if the body count was any indication. Plus, a blind guy at a shooting range? Probably not the best plan.

The truck slowed down, turned into a road that eventually turned into what felt like a gravel lot, and stopped.

“Okay,” Frank said, a little edge to his voice. “We’re here.”

Matt inhaled a deep breath. He smelled… a farm? Had Frank taken him to a farm? There were definitely animal smells, though: animal bodies and other, less pleasant smells. But also… sugar. Heated sugar. Weird.

“Great.” Matt ignored Frank’s tone, unbuckled his seat belt, opened his door, and braced himself.

The jolt as he landed hurt every bit as much as he’d thought it would.

“You okay?”

He must have made a noise or something. “Yeah, fine. Let’s go… wherever we’re going.”

“The footing is kinda uneven up to the gate, because of the gravel,” Frank said, sounding a little uncertain. “Do you n - want to, uh… ?”

Matt appreciated the shift from _need_ to _want_. Admitting to needing help was… well, Stick’s tutelage had made that a challenging thing for him to do. But want? Yeah, that he could manage.

“Please,” he said. Frank stepped a little closer and Red slipped a hand around his arm. Would he take his hand away when they got to the gate? He wasn’t sure.

Frank answered the question for him. They stopped, presumably at the gate because the footing changed from gravel to what felt like maybe cement, like a sidewalk. “Two,” Frank said.

“That’ll be twenty-nine ninety.” Whoever it was sounded pretty young and peppy, but Matt felt Frank’s muscles shift under his fingers - _hello_ \- and realized he was going for his wallet.

“I can -” Matt started, but Frank interrupted him.

“I got it. Don’t worry about it. I’m the one that brought you here.”

And then he moved his arm, so Matt pulled his hand away. They were on a smooth path now. He didn’t need the guidance.

Well, he hadn’t needed it before, as Frank had acknowledged, but it had been… pleasant.

“And you can get food and all for them inside,” the peppy cashier added. Matt wondered what she thought of them, the two of them. What image did they present? And also… food? For them? Who were _they_? Matt didn’t ask, but he definitely wondered.

He was also kind of curious what _they_ ate.

As they walked through the entrance, Matt felt the cool of shade; he hadn’t realized how hot the sun had been until he felt its absence. The smells intensified: both animals and their excrement, people and their sweat, various food and drinks.

It reminded him of the smells of a county fair Foggy had taken him to back when they were in college, but quieter. There weren’t any midway sounds, and people were keeping their voices down.

And even the smells weren’t too bad. For Matt, pretty much everywhere smelled of _something_ , and the animal smells were at least something different.

It was a passing small child who gave him a clue by announcing, “I want to go to the zoo every day!”

The zoo. Huh. Looking at animals wasn’t really something he could do, and it really didn’t seem like a Frank Castle sort of place.

“Do you feed them?” Matt asked, hoping for some sort of conversation, and maybe also to figure out which animals were fed. He assumed it wasn’t any of the carnivores.

“Oh, uh. I haven’t been here in a while. But we can. You just have to watch the alpacas. They’re sneaky ba - uh. Sorry, ma’am.”

Matt was all but hit in the face by the combination of disapproval and heavy floral perfume. Presumably, somebody didn’t want a kid learning bad words, but Matt guessed maybe the kid already knew them. _He_ had, after all - not that his dad had cared.

“Alpacas,” Matt agreed. “Sneaky bastards.” He aimed a winning smile toward the perfume and then took Frank’s arm to steer him in the opposite direction, which had the added benefit of him having Frank’s arm.

“Looked like my nonna,” Frank said sotto voce, sounding amused. “We can visit the alpacas, but let’s go this way first.”

Matt heard a distinctive bray, though one he only really knew from television and his See and Say when he was a kid. “Donkey?” he guessed.

“Yeah. They’re friendly, and they don’t bite.”

“Always a plus,” Matt observed.

“Still, better not to aim for the head, just in case.”

Matt could tell where the donkey was as well as its approximate shape. “Uh, the finer details are a little beyond me.”

“Sorry. Never really know what you can do. Do you, uh, want to pet him?”

Why not? “Okay. Just…”

But Frank apparently had ideas; he slid Matt’s hand down his arm and then placed it on some part of the donkey. The back? His hair felt somehow both coarse and fluffy.

“Give him a good scratch,” Frank suggested.

Matt did, and the donkey leaned into the touch. “He likes it!”

“Yeah, he does. He’s always trying to get attention. The donkey in the next pen over, that’s actually this guy’s son. We can’t pet him, though. He’s not as easygoing as Bo.”

Frank’s tone had changed, Matt noticed. It had gone softer and patient, and Matt imagined that was how he’d spoken to his kids.

“Do we feed, uh, Bo?” he asked.

“Not this guy. He doesn’t bite, but let’s not tempt him, yeah? We can feed the alpacas later, though.” Frank hesitated. “Should I be describing what I’m seeing here?”

“I remember what animals look like,” Matt replied with a smile. Mostly, he did, and he didn’t want things to be all about the blindness. “Maybe if you tell me what they’re doing?”

“I can do that. Bo wants you to pet him some more, but there are people waiting, so we can move on. There’s some sheep and goats in the next pen.”

As they approached, the animals announced their presence with a series of bleats and mehs.

“They’re mostly sitting around, though a couple of little ones just came up to the fence. Oh, wait, here they come.”

Matt could hear it: the groans and then the soft sound of their hoofs on the ground. “Wanting food?”

“Probably, yeah. We don’t have any, though. Want to go by the predators?”

“Seems appropriate.”

“Ha.”

Frank stepped closer, and Matt decided that was an invitation and took his arm. There must have been more trees around the predators, as the temperature cooled down. “A lot of them seem like they’re sleeping,” Frank observed. “But we’ve got tigers and a cougar. And I think there are bears, but over in another section. They had new cubs the last time I was here.”

Frank’s breath caught in his throat and then he coughed. Matt thought about asking when the last time Frank had visited the zoo, but then realized he’d likely brought his kids. Not the easiest conversational topic.

A siren sounded, not an unusual noise to Matt, but what followed raised the hair on the back of his neck: a weird, unearthly howl.

He must have stopped, as Frank did as well. “That’s just the jackals,” he said, again sounding like he was talking to his kids. “They do that when they hear the siren. Maybe think it’s their buddy.”

“Oh.” Matt tried not to sound too relieved. “Okay. What’s next?” He found he didn’t really have any desire to meet the jackals.

Frank may have sensed that, as they somehow never reached the jackals. They did go past camels and ostriches, zebras and fallow deer, and other animals that Matt hadn’t ever heard of.

In the reptile house, a zoo employee let Matt touch a snake. It coiled around his hand, eliciting a startled laugh from the handler. “She likes you. That’s weird. She’s friendly with people she knows, but she usually just tolerates strangers.”

Frank made a soft, amused noise, and Matt guessed he was probably smiling.

“I’m glad she likes me,” Matt said. “I just want to make sure she gets back to you okay. Don’t want to end up accidentally snake-napping.”

“Maybe you should get one, Red,” Frank suggested, though Matt heard the note of teasing beneath his too-innocent tone.

“Snakes make great pets,” the handler said cheerfully. “As long as you know what you’re doing and have a good setup. But, yeah, let me get her back. Come on, sweetheart.”

Matt smiled and extended his wrist, and Frank whispered, “She means the snake.” It was just loud enough for Matt to catch it, so he assumed the snake handler didn’t hear. As she extricated the snake from around his wrist, he turned and smiled in Frank’s direction.

“Thank you,” he added toward the handler. “I appreciate it.”

He slipped a little going down the steps from the reptile house and managed not to hiss in pain, but Frank caught his elbow and kept him from going too far.

“Thanks.”

Frank made a noise that Matt assumed meant _You’re welcome_ and then asked, “It’s your back, yeah?” He rested his hand just on the spot that hurt, his hand warm even through Matt’s clothes. His question seemed casual and didn’t pressure Matt to talk about it.

“Yeah. After, uh, Midland Circle, it was never really a hundred percent again, and then I overdid it a little the other night.”

“Pulling a toddler out of oncoming traffic?” Frank asked, and there was that deadpan teasing again, the amused, unspoken _do-gooder_.

“Trying to keep a drug dealer from punching me in the head, and I twisted the wrong way.”

“Probably should’ve just taken the punch.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Except that Matt had sensed the angle of the punch and worried what it might do to his teeth. He still had them all, and he didn’t want that to change. _Protect your chiclets,_ his dad had always teased, pretending to square up against young Matt. Matt had always been ready to go, but his father had always pushed him toward his books instead.

 _Protect your chiclets._ Did they even still make that gum? Biting through the candy coating had always been the best part. Maybe Matt would ask Foggy to see if it was still around.

“We’ve already been that way,” Frank said, and Matt turned his focus back to the trip, to the animals. To Frank.

“Yeah, sorry. Guess I got turned around.” Frank scoffed, and Matt continued, “What’s left?”

“Well, the alpacas and Lincoln.”

“Lincoln?”

“You’ll find out. Alpacas first.”

Frank turned down a sunnier path and Matt loosened his tie, running a finger lightly along his collar. “Are we going to feed them?”

“You can try.”

They came to a halt and a scuffling sound suggested the arrival of the… what even were alpacas?

“I’ll get the food.”

Matt heard the sound that he associated with the gumball machines of his youth, and then Frank pressed what felt like a paper cup into his hand.

The scuffling came closer, and Matt heard the quickening flutter of their heartbeats.

“It’s… kind of like corn,” Frank explained. “Hold your hand flat, like you’re giving a horse a treat.”

“Like I’ve got so much experience with horses,” Matt retorted, but he did as he was told. Curious, he held the cup tantalizingly near the fence; he was just barely able to pull it away before the alpaca got there.

“Quick,” Frank said.

“You know it.”

Frank exhaled a short, amused sound, and they exchanged no further conversation while Matt finished feeding the alpaca. He brushed his hand along the wool and frowned a little. “Thought it would be softer.”

“When it’s cleaned and they do, uh, wool stuff to it, maybe.”

Now it was Matt’s turn for the deadpan humor. “Wool stuff?”

“It’s an industry term.” Frank nudged Matt’s hand with his arm, and Matt took it, a little pleased by how this was somehow a thing they did now. “Let’s go visit Lincoln,” Frank added. “Then maybe it’s time to head out.”

“Traffic, yeah,” Matt agreed, though he found himself not wanting the day to end. It had been nothing like what he’d expected spending time with Frank to be like, but he’d enjoyed it anyway.

As they approached Lincoln’s area, the noise got a little louder. Kids laughed and talked to their parents, and Matt got the sense of something very large - oh.

“A giraffe?”

“Yeah. They must have finished fundraising for his new enclosure. It looks great. Apparently the next plan is to get him a girlfriend.”

Matt pursed his lips. “Do giraffes have Tinder?”

“Of course not.” Frank scoffed. “They’d crush the phones if they tried to swipe.”

Matt tried not to let his jaw drop too obviously. Frank knew enough about dating apps to make that kind of joke? It must just be a pop culture thing. The only way Matt could imagine Frank using a dating app was if someone blackmailed him into it. “So more like a breeding program.”

“Yeah, I guess. Let’s get in line.”

Matt assumed they weren’t going to let him pet the giraffe, though he kind of wondered what they felt like; he got in line easily enough. He could hear some sort of zoo handler talking to someone ahead of him, something about holding her hand straight out, and then there was a lot of laughter.

Giraffe pranks? Hey, it was no less weird than giraffe Tinder.

As they approached the head of the line, Matt heard a kid near him say, “Daddy, look at that man’s glasses!”

A man replied, “Yep, they’re red. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Can I get red glasses, too?”

“Possibly, but I think the pink ones will do for right now.”

“I want glasses in _all_ the colors. And I want heart glasses, too.” Matt felt a small hand tug on his arm. “Do _you_ want heart glasses? I think they’d look good on you. They have some in the gift shop.”

Frank made a choking sound and Matt was pretty sure Frank would be teasing him about that forever. Which, okay, wasn’t so bad.

“Hey, Lexi, personal space. It’s not okay to just grab people. Sorry.”

“No problem.” Matt tilted his head in the kid’s general direction. “I’ve never had heart glasses, but I really like the ones I have.”

“Me, too. Red glasses are so cool. But red _heart_ glasses would be even better.”

Frank cleared his throat. “Red, it’s our turn,” he said, and Matt wanted to kiss him, even though Frank sounded far too amused.

“Daddy, his _name_ is Red. Maybe he got named for his glasses.”

“Could be.”

Matt and Frank moved to what Matt assumed was the appropriate spot.

“He’s gonna do it,” Frank informed the waiting person, probably a handler.

How did one handle a giraffe?

Wait.

“I’m going to do what?”

“Don’t warn him,” Frank added.

“Warn me of what?”

The zoo employee made a noise that sounded like a laugh. “It’s okay, sir. You just want to hold your hand out straight in front of you. The big guy will do the rest.”

Thinking of giraffe Tinder, Matt muttered, “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Some sort of plant was put in his hand and he held his arm straight out in front of him. He could tell where the giraffe was, which was _not_ straight in front of him. Frank, with an amused sound, manhandled him into the correct orientation.

Well. That part was pretty okay.

As Frank got him into the right spot, the handler spoke up to say, “Giraffe tongues are eighteen to twenty inches long and are prehensile, which means -”

Her pause was the only warning Matt got before the giraffe moved his head closer and pulled the plant out of Matt’s hand; the rough, sticky edge of the giraffe’s tongue brushed against Matt’s hand.

“- they can use them to take plants.” Lowering her voice, she added, “There’s a handwashing station at the end of the ramp. I’m sure your - friend can make sure you won’t miss it.”

“Friend,” Matt echoed, his lips curving in - yeah, it was a smirk.

Frank scoffed and moved closer so Matt could take his arm.

Coincidentally, Matt chose to grab him with the hand he’d just used to feed the giraffe. He could feel the low rumble of Frank’s laugh and guessed that he noticed that.

Both of them made use of the handwashing station. “So that was a giraffe, huh? That’s some tongue.”

Frank leaned past him, getting a paper towel from the sound of it. “Eighteen to twenty inches,” he agreed, his voice low. He pressed a paper towel into Matt’s hands.

“No comment,” Matt quipped.

“Well, that’s a first.”

Matt smiled as he dried his hands.

“Trash is right in front of you,” Frank added, and Matt disposed of the paper towel. The zoo soap smelled odd on his hands, unfamiliar, but Frank smelled that way, too, so at least there was that.

“Time to head out?” Matt asked.

“One more stop.”

Matt shrugged but went with it. This place obviously had a spot in Frank’s heart, and it really wasn’t that odd. He’d noticed how Frank was with the occasional stray dog they’d come across. Hell, he’d even once worried that Frank had hurt himself, when in fact he was fighting while also keeping an arm around the kitten sleeping in his hoodie. Frank’s annoyed huff had dared Matt to comment, so he hadn’t, but had simply enjoyed the thought of the big, bad Punisher and the little kitten.

He heard the creak of a door opening, then felt a wash of cool air. It wasn’t another animal house, though; it smelled of people and textiles and sugar.

“Gift shop?” Matt asked as he went in, and Frank made a sound he assumed meant yes. Maybe he was going to get a gift for his hacker friend’s kids? Or maybe - and Matt delighted in the thought - Frank was going to get himself a stuffed animal.

Matt pondered which would be the right animal for Frank. He’d liked the donkey, but it didn’t quite work. Matt had heard things about cassowaries but figured that was a little too specific for a little zoo like this one.

So he asked, “Looking for anything in particular?”

“Yeah.”

No further information. Well, that was Frank.

Frank exchanged pleasantries with the cashier and made his purchase, and then asked Matt, “You ready?”

“Yeah.” They made their way back to the car and Matt braced himself for pain as he moved to get back in the truck, but Frank boosted him up - okay, with his hand maybe a little lower than precisely necessary, but it did the job. “Thanks,” Matt said, once Frank was in the driver’s seat. For the assistance -" Not help; never help. “- and for the trip. It was - I liked it.”

“Good. You’re welcome.”

Matt was pretty sure he heard a smile in Frank’s voice.

* * *

Frank smiled as Red buckled his seat belt. It had been a good trip, yeah. He hadn’t ever thought he’d been able to go back to the zoo, but Red had made it good.

He turned the truck toward Hell’s Kitchen. “Used to go there with my kids.” Red, maybe guessing not to push too hard, hummed a question. “The alpacas would pull the cup out of Lisa’s hand every time,” he added, smiling as he remembered it. “She always had a plan for how she’d keep it, but she always got so… what did she say? _Distracted by their cuteness._ ”

“Alpacas are cute?” Red asked, though he was smiling, too.

Frank shrugged. “For a certain value of cute.”

“Did they take your son’s cup?”

“Nah. He would wedge it against the fence. He tried to show Lisa once, but I think she kind of liked that the alpacas would do it. She felt a little bad that they were stuck in a zoo, liked them to win.”

“Sounds like a sweet kid.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she was. Frankie, too, but he was a little more rough about it.”

“Like he didn’t want to be sweet.”

“Huh.”

Red laughed, a short sound. “I remember when I was a kid, before -” He waved a hand in front of his face. “- some lady in a store or something telling me how sweet I was, and I did one of those -” He blew a short raspberry.

“Bet that impressed her.”

“Oh, yeah. My dad laughed, though.”

Frank smiled a little at the pride in Red’s voice and remembered how Frankie would clown and tell jokes, anything to get a laugh out of Frank.

Red asked, after a moment of hesitation, “Ever think about having any more?”

All the pleasant feeling of the day left Frank. “No.”

“I know you could never replace them, but it seems like you were so -”

 _No_."

Red didn’t flinch at his sharp tone, not quite, but he slid down a little in his seat.

“Lisa, she was - unexpected,” Frank explained. He remembered Maria saying, the tears in her eyes countering the fierceness of her voice, _I know we haven’t been together long, and I don’t expect you to do anything, but I’m keeping it. I want it._

Of course, he’d married her.

“Serendipity,” Red suggested. He added, maybe not sure if Frank knew the word, “A pleasant surprise. Like today.”

Frank glanced over at Red and he was smiling. Guess he really had liked it, even though the zoo didn’t really seem to be his speed.

“Yeah.” Frank smiled a little, too, then asked, “You taking tonight off?”

Red exhaled, sounding frustrated and annoyed. “I don’t want to, but if I don’t rest it won’t heal, and I’ll just mess it up more.”

Frank somehow did not go off the road in his shock. “Wait, who are you? What did you do to Red?”

“Haha.” Red sounded amused, though. “I ran into Claire the day it happened, and she read me the riot act.”

“Claire - your nurse friend?” Frank thought but did not say that this Claire had probably found Red still trying to do his parkour shit with a messed up back. No wonder she’d read him the riot act.

“Yeah. She may have said something about a tranq gun.”

“That’s what it would take.”

“Hey.”

“Tell me I’m wrong.” Red didn’t say anything, and Frank scoffed. “That’s what I thought.”

“Like you’re not the same.”

“Oh, I am. Shit needs to get done, I get it.” He eased around a turn and asked, “Want me to go out tonight, do what needs doing?”

Red cleared his throat. “Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to increase the body count in the Kitchen.”

“I don’t have to kill them.”

Frank wasn’t sure how a blind guy managed such an epic side-eye, but Red was doing it.

“Look, if it will get you to stay home, maybe even with an ice pack or something, I can manage not to kill some guys.”

“You sure? You have to not kill _all_ of them, though. Not just some.”

“Fine. Just tonight, though. Don’t think I’m reformed or anything.”

Red scoffed. “Well, thanks. I appreciate it.”

Frank shrugged. “Ice pack.”

“I have several.”

Frank bet he did. “You need food? I can stop somewhere.”

Red exhaled again. “Look, you don’t need to - to mother-hen me, okay? I can take care of myself.”

“You can,” Frank agreed. “But sometimes it’s nice to not _have_ to, yeah?”

“I - yeah. Sorry. Food would be great. My treat, since you got the zoo tickets.”

Wait, Frank hadn’t meant that they should - well, eat together. But he thought about it and, well, why not? He and Red weren’t - his mind didn’t like the word _dating_ , but was there a word for what they had? Fighting together, and occasionally sex?

But then how did a trip to the zoo and then dinner afterward fit into that?

 _Was_ it a date? An unexpected date?

Serendipity?

Fuck.

And then there was the gift bag from the zoo in Frank’s jacket pocket. It had felt like a funny thing to buy at the time, but now giving it to Red seemed weird.

“Sure,” Frank said when he realized that Red was probably waiting for an answer. “Whatever you want is good, just tell me where.” If Red was paying, let him pick the place.

“Hell’s Chicken?”

Frank hadn’t been there much, but he’d liked it. “Yeah.”

There wasn’t a lot of conversation for the rest of the drive. Red looked like he was tired; if work and walking around the zoo had worn him out that much, it was definitely a good thing that Frank was going to look after the city that evening.

By the time they got to Hell’s Chicken, Red had conked out. Frank pulled into a parking spot and noticed that Red barely moved; he phoned in their order, guessing at what he thought Red might like. Figuring that Red obviously needed the sleep, he pulled out his copy of the book Micro’s kid had given him the last time he was there and read until the order was ready.

Red stirred a little when Frank opened the truck door but settled back down when Frank said, “I’ll be right back.”

By the time Frank returned, Red had woken up, though it seemed like he was still trying to clear the fog from his brain.

“Sorry. Haven’t been sleeping much because of the back thing, and I managed to find a comfortable position.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Frank said, putting down the takeout bag. The beer bottles clinked as he nestled them next to the bag. Red grinned, clearly recognizing the sound, but then his expression clouded.

“Hey, I was supposed to pay.”

“You can get the next one.”

Next one? Where had that come from?

Red smiled a little. “There’s going to be a next one?”

Frank wasn’t sure how to answer, so he shoved the takeout bag closer to Red. “Make sure I got something you’ll eat.”

Red smirked. “I’ll eat anything,” he said, his tone sending a line of heat right where he no doubt intended it to go.

Frank cleared his throat. After a fight, sure, he knew how it went then. But now, after the fucking zoo - well, no, not the _fucking_ zoo. Anyway, with a bag of chicken and japchae and all between them, how did that go? “Okay then.”

“But not in the car, right?” Red was still smiling, clearly enjoying teasing Frank.

“Yeah, I’ll… I’ll find somewhere.”

He was talking about eating the takeout, right? Because no food in the truck, that was true.

The other thing? Well, Frank could be convinced.

Feeling like Red was enjoying himself a little too much, Frank found a parking spot.

“You stay there,” he said, and for a miracle Red did. Frank went around to the passenger side and opened the door.

Amused, teasing Red had disappeared in the time that it had taken Frank to go around the car. “I don’t need help.”

Frank sighed. What was this guy, a two-year-old? “We been over this. Plus, I want your back to get better, so this is me being selfish.”

Red scoffed, but did let Frank brace him as he got out of the truck.

He didn’t say thank you. “We in a park?” he asked as Frank reached in to get the food and the beers.

“Yeah. There’s a bench at your ten o’clock.”

They sat down, and the few inches between them could have been a mile. The takeout bag was there, and Frank almost made a joke about leaving room for Jesus, but, well, wouldn’t want Red to think he was serious. So instead he pulled out the food and bumped a beer against Red’s hand. Couldn’t go wrong with alcohol.

They ate in silence for a little while, then Red said, “Thanks, Frank.”

Frank, his mouth full of chicken, hummed a question.

“This was a good day. Better than I would’ve had if I’d gone home.”

Probably would have sulked about his injury and then not eaten, Frank figured, or maybe said _fuck it_ and gone out anyway, and made himself worse. Frank smiled a little and said, “Me, too.”

He and Red, they got each other. Sure, they had some fundamental differences in how they handled criminals, but they were doing something about the crime. That was more than most could say. And speaking of crime…

“You about done? Got to get you home so I can go defend your city.” He let his voice go a little gravelly there at the end and Red smirked, clearly recognizing himself in Frank’s tone.

“I can walk. It’s not far.” Maybe guessing that Frank was about to protest, he added, with a smile that felt a little too lawyery to be totally real, “I’m not that broken, Frank. I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, you just don’t want to have to get in and out of my truck again.”

Red didn’t let the smile drop. “That, too.” He leaned a little closer, then grimaced. “C’mere.”

Curious, Frank leaned closer, then grinned when Red pulled him in the last few inches for a kiss, his stubble scraping Frank’s face. “Come by my place when you’re done, okay?”

“Yeah.”

Red probably wanted to make sure Frank hadn’t killed anybody. Well, and maybe something else. Frank let his hand drop to the package from the zoo, then shook his head. It was dumb. He gathered up their trash and beer bottles and disposed of them, adding, “Take it easy, Red.”

Red didn’t say anything, just sat there as Frank left, his head tilted a little, a small smile on his face.

Frank went back to his truck, then to his apartment, then got to work.

The city didn’t protect itself, after all.

* * *

Karen thought she had gotten to know Matt pretty well, that they were good friends. Things had been rough for a while after he’d returned from the dead, but they were okay now. She knew what was usual for him, and she could usually predict how the day was going to go by the look on his face when he came through the office doors.

On rare days, she really had no idea what to expect, and this was one of those days.

First of all, he got to work on time - early, even. And he seemed well-rested and happy. He had a cardboard carrier with three cups of coffee, and he smiled as he deposited one in front of Karen.

“Thanks.” She pulled the cup closer. A vanilla latte? Nice. “How are you this morning?”

Shockingly, Matt didn’t reply with an automatic, “Fine.” He took a sip of his coffee, looking like he was thinking about his answer.

“Pretty good,” he replied, and Karen felt her eyebrows lift.

She studied Matt, the gears turning in her head. Clearly, something was up. “That’s great. Uh, Foggy’s coming in late today, remember?”

Which was a shame, because Karen figured Foggy would absolutely be able to get behind this mystery. At the very least, they could be having a frantic text conversation that Matt would pretend to ignore.

“Yeah,” Matt replied, though he frowned a little as he set another cup on Foggy’s desk.

“He’ll reheat it,” Karen reassured. “It was nice of you to bring it.”

Matt nodded. “Thanks.”

He started to go into his office, but Karen couldn’t have that. “Did you take last night off, like you said you would?”

Matt nodded again, his hand moving to his back and rubbing gently. Foggy had called him out on the injury the day before, and he’d promised to take it easy, but Karen had still had her suspicions.

“Quiet night in?” Karen pressed.

Matt shrugged and then grimaced, rubbing his back once more. “Uh, yeah.”

Something about his tone caught at Karen’s attention. “Wait, did you go out? Matt, you _said_ -”

He cut off her protest. “No jumping around the city, I swear. I, uh. Went to the zoo.”

Karen was pretty sure Matt couldn’t tell that her jaw dropped, even with his enhanced senses. “The zoo?”

“Not the one in Central Park. A little one, out of the city. It was fun.”

Ooh, he sounded a little defensive. “Hey, I love zoos. They’ve been doing a lot with breeding programs and education and conservation. I just didn’t think they were _your_ thing. How did you decide to go?”

He shifted in place, looking uncomfortable. “It wasn’t my idea.”

Karen sat up straight. “Matt, did you have a _date_?”

Her first response, which she promptly dismissed, was that she wasn’t sure how to feel about Matt dating. It wasn’t like they were ever going to get together; that ship had sailed. And she wanted him to be happy. And, ideally, she wanted someone in his life who kept him from being too self-destructive. If whoever this was got him to go to the zoo instead of either moping at home or going out as Daredevil and making his back worse, that was a good thing. Right?

But Matt said, “I’m not sure.”

“Well, did you kiss her?” She let her mind drift to the feel of Matt’s lips on hers, the scratch of his stubble against her cheek, and -

He coughed. “Him, actually. And yeah. He had to do some, uh, errands and then he came back to my place. There was, uh, kissing.”

Him, huh? Karen had always had her suspicions about that, especially considering the way Matt and Foggy sometimes behaved toward each other, and then Marci had told her about them getting together briefly in college.

Whoever he was had distracted Matt from being Daredevil _and_ gotten him to work on time and cheerful. Definitely a good thing. Matt’s manner suggested that maybe there had been more than kissing, which… good. That was definitely a good thing.

“Well, are you going to see him again?” Karen asked. She’d never imagined quizzing Matt about his love life, but it was kind of fun. Plus, she loved getting the dirt before Foggy.

“Well, I’m never going to _see_ him.” Karen made an exasperated noise and Matt grinned and made a vague gesture with the hand not holding his coffee. “I don’t know. Maybe? We’ve had kind of a thing, but yesterday was the first time it got…”

“What, physical?”

Was he blushing? “Uh, no. That’s been going on for a while.”

That maybe explained other mornings when Matt had been cheerful.

“Hey, as long as it’s working for both of you, that’s great,” Karen encouraged.

His smile turned a little smug. “It’s definitely working.”

Karen wished Foggy was there. Karen could only imagine the squawking that statement would have caused. “Well, could you imagine yourself being with this guy long-term?”

Matt’s expression went thoughtful, almost grim, and Karen wondered what emo button she’d inadvertently pushed.

“Long-term,” he repeated. “I don’t know.”

His face had that mournful quality to it that it sometimes got during his low moments, and Karen wondered if Matt could imagine _anything_ long-term. She summoned her most cheerful tone and said, “Well, bring him by sometime. I’d love to meet him, and I’m sure Foggy would, too.”

Matt actually laughed, his whole face crinkling with his smile, and Karen’s heart warmed a little just to see it. “Uh, maybe. You -”

A knock at the door cut off his words, and one of the neighborhood kids opened the door at Karen’s, “Come in.”

“I’m supposed to give this to Matt,” he said, lifting a bag in one hand.

Karen was all set to take whatever it was, but Matt stepped forward, his expression intent. “Who sent it?” he asked as he took the bag from the kid. When his hands touched it, though, his lips turned upward. “Never mind.” He fumbled in a pocket, then turned in Karen’s direction. “Could you…?”

Karen reached in a drawer and got a few bucks from petty cash, then added a candy bar from her stash.

“Thanks!” the kid said, as he scooted out of the office.

“What is it?” Karen asked, but Matt shook his head.

“It’s silly.”

“All the more reason to let me see.”

Matt pursed his lips and shook his head, his expression a little rueful as he said, “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope,” Karen replied cheerfully. “Show me.”

Matt sighed. “Okay. You can make fun of me for two minutes and then you need to stop. Deal?”

Intrigued, Karen replied, “Deal.”

Matt opened the bag, which Karen noticed was from some zoo, and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. The lenses were red and… heart-shaped? “Oh, my God,” Karen murmured as Matt ran his fingers along the glasses.

“No, I’m pretty sure He doesn’t have anything to do with these.”

“You have to put them on.”

“That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“Well, how could I have specified that without knowing what was in the bag? Come on, Matt. Please?”

He exhaled a long sigh and took off his regular glasses, and Karen opened the camera app on her phone as she got to her feet. As soon as he put on the glasses, she took a picture, holding down her thumb to enable burst mode. One of the pictures would be good.

“They look cute!” she exclaimed, and Matt groaned and pulled off the glasses, though he ran his fingers around the edge. “Look, there was this kid at the zoo and - it’s not important.”

“He’s buying you presents. Sounds serious,” Karen teased.

Matt scoffed. “Hardly.”

“Coming by your apartment at night,” Karen teased. “You definitely have to bring him by so we can meet him.”

Clearing his throat, Matt looked a little uncomfortable. “You already know him.”

“I do? Who is it? Ooh, was it that lawyer from the case last week? He’s hot - good for you. I _knew_ he kept looking at you for a reason.”

"Uh, no. And he kept looking at me because he knew we were going to win.”

Karen laughed and shook her head. “Okay, that barista at the coffee shop? He watches you walk away every time you leave.”

Now he was blushing. This was fun. He fumbled with his regular glasses and put them on, sliding the heart-shaped ones into his jacket pocket.

“No, not him.”

“Okay, then who?”

Matt took a deep breath. “Frank Castle.”

Karen landed in her chair with a thud before she was even aware of the desire to sit. “Frank?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Are you okay with that? I know you kind of… had a thing for him.”

Well, and she’d had a thing for Matt, too, and now they were somehow together? Karen wondered if any of her other former crushes had ended up together. That was a disturbing thought.

“Yeah,” she said, though Matt could probably hear that her heart was beating faster. “Uh, yeah, that’s great. I mean, he knows about the Daredevil thing, right?”

“Yeah. He, uh, went out for me last night, so I could let my back rest a little.”

“Well, good. You needed a break, and you seem really… cheerful today.” He grinned a little and Karen added, teasing, “Just be _sure_ you let your back rest, huh? Don’t exert yourself too much.”

“ _Karen_.” She laughed, and Matt shook his head. “Okay, I’m going to go get some work done, if that’s okay with you.”

Karen noted that he hadn’t denied anything. “Oh, go ahead. But be sure to thank Frank for his present, okay?”

Matt grumbled something under his breath as he made his way into his office, but Karen saw him take out the heart glasses, put them on his desk, straighten them a little, and smile.

She scrolled through her pictures and texted the best one to Foggy. Then, after a moment’s thought, she texted it to Frank, too, adding a smiley-face emoji.

She _was_ happy for them, after all. Maybe a little disappointed that she hadn’t ended up with either of them, but it seemed like it was for the best, especially if Frank could actually get Matt to take it easy once in a while.

Her phone buzzed with Foggy’s reply and Karen smiled as she began to answer. Life certainly was interesting.

* * *

Matt could hear Karen texting and assumed he would hear about it later. Foggy’s reaction would likely be entertaining.

He reached out to touch the glasses again. He wasn’t sure why Frank had gotten them - heart-eyes glasses didn’t exactly seem to be the Punisher’s style, after all.

Naturally, he wondered what it meant. Hearts? Was it just because of the kid at the zoo? Was Frank trying to say something by giving him the glasses? Did he… ?

No. Frank wasn’t a subtle kind of guy. If he had those kinds of feelings for Matt, he would have said so.

The gift was just a silly little present, that was all.

Still, Matt got out his phone and murmured, “Call Frank.” Karen seemed distracted by her texting.

It took a moment, but Frank picked up. “Hey.” He sounded a little distracted.

“Bad time?”

“Nah. Just looking at something on my phone. Or I was.” After a brief silence, Frank added, “The glasses look good on you.”

Matt instinctively turned his head toward the outer office. “Seriously? She sent you a picture already?” He’d known when Karen had taken the pictures - she’d turned off her shutter noise, but the electronics still sounded different - but he hadn’t figured she’d be so fast.

“Yeah. Dumb, right? The glasses, I mean.”

“No, I like them. I’m not sure I’m going to wear them that much, but maybe if the right court case came along…” That got Frank to laugh, and Matt smiled. “Thanks,” he added. “I appreciate it. But, uh, what color are they?”

“Red,” Frank replied, sounding like he was pretending to be offended. “Like I’d get you any other color.”

“Okay, true.” Matt leaned back in his chair, appreciating the way it stretched his back. “Doing anything tonight?”

“Nah. I could patrol for you again tonight, if you want.”

Matt shifted a little in his chair. His back still hurt - not as much, but enough that he should probably take the night off. “Maybe I can get Jess or somebody to cover instead.”

“Oh. Well, okay.”

Did Frank think Matt didn’t trust him to patrol? “So we can try dinner instead. Maybe in an actual restaurant this time? And I definitely get to pay.”

“Hmm. Sounds interesting. It doesn’t take all night to go to dinner, though.”

Frank was definitely teasing him.

“Well, if you just want to get dinner, I won’t ask Jess and we can go patrol after we eat.”

Frank exhaled a short laugh. “Might be a bad idea, with your back. We should probably eat and then stay in.”

Matt felt his smile get a little bigger. He was pretty sure Karen was watching him, but he didn’t really care.

What was happening with Frank was unexpected and kind of fun, and Matt was looking forward to finding out what happened next.

Serendipity, right?

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to check out the [lovely art](https://amyzen.tumblr.com/post/118971324475/follow-for-more-sparkly-heart-eyes-matt) by [Amy Zen @ Tumblr](https://amyzen.tumblr.com/), which motivated my choice of Frank's gift. (Seriously, gorgeous work!)


End file.
